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This multi-tasking den does it all: a daybed that comfortably sleeps an overnight guest and makes a comfy TV watching spot; lots of storage; plus a drop-down desk and swivel chair for working at home.
(Nicola Betts)

The efficient U-shaped kitchen packs in tons of storage while taking up little of precious floor space. (Nicola Betts)

The living/dining area keeps it simple – larger furniture but less of it, a continuous colour scheme throughout, and the space feels positively expansive. Thanks to a jog in the floorplan, there is plenty of room. (Nicola Betts)

Elegant and stylish as a Gucci bag, the 750-sq.-ft. model suite at the new Love Condos is brimming with ideas for any small space. And the designer, Paul Davies from Tanner-Hill, is willing to dish.

Every space should multi-task. In a small space, you need to squeeze out every function possible.

With the den just inside the front door, it’s a perfect spot for home office, especially with the fold-down desk and storage-heavy shelving. But it can also double as a guest room — or as a TV and gaming retreat — thanks to a comfy daybed.

The same goes for the living/dining area. The sectional sofa — armless on one end — is perfect for a snooze, cozy for two, but big enough to seat three. The curved ottoman tucks in next to it; but it isn’t attached, so it provides yet another seat. Even more seating is available with a vintage chair and two chrome stools that double as coffee tables.

If you really have a crowd, pull in chairs from the dining area. Alternately, the dining table could be placed in the den, leaving a space for a huge living room.

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Consider function in order of importance. In any small apartment, it’s critical to have a retreat, an “evening oasis,” Davies says. So the bedroom takes on ever greater importance. It’s essential to have a queen-size bed for that reason, but you need to have enough floor space to accommodate it and still leave a feeling of spaciousness.

Here, Davies opted for a bed with storage underneath and end tables attached to the wall to free up some floor space.

A living room is equally important for entertaining friends. In fact, Davies feels it “trumps” the dining space. Fortunately, this dining area takes up little room because the suite is wider than usual and because a round table takes up less room. And you can always get a table that expands when you need it.

The den’s location, beside the full second bathroom with glass shower, means it can easily be partitioned off with frosted-glass sliding doors — or even drywall — to create a second bedroom, Davies says.

Less is truly more. Pare back the clutter by having fewer, and larger, pieces. The large 4-by-6 artwork over the dining console certainly makes a statement. Next to it, over the sofa and helping to define the living space, are two framed lithographs.

The living room has just two pieces of furniture: a substantial sofa, armless on one end, which helps the eye travel freely around the room.

The kitchen is an effective U-shape that doesn’t scrimp on storage or on appliances. Rather than position the stove at the bottom of the U, Davies opted to place it on one side to provide more counterspace.

Think colour harmony. Having one colour — in this case orange — run throughout the suite makes it feel like one continuous space, Davies says. He chose orange for how it works with the neutrals: grey walls, and warm walnut woods. Orange also gives a space life and energy.

The trick to using this colour, he says, is to make sure “it’s a warm, spicy tone, on the brown side, and staying away from the yellowy-red range, which can be more jarring.”

Layer on the fabrics

Given the orange “thread” that runs through the entire suite, it’s good to mix things up a bit when it comes to textiles.

“Regard the den and living room as one area,” Davies says. “Then balance the larger prints with smaller prints and solids. What you’re aiming for is a continuous flow but visual interest, so that when you sit at the dining table or the couch and look around, everything is balanced.”

Room by room, though, the textiles are quite different. The daybed is upholstered in a pop graphic fabric in pale orange and white, next to a vivid orange leather desk chair. Orange in the kitchen is tiny flourishes — a few tangerine pop bottles, a dish towel. In the dining area, the table is set with rust-coloured dishes, set against an energetic burst of red orange in the artwork.

The custom-made living room sofa is upholstered in orange tweed and set with toss cushions in checked cotton and dark orange wool. The carpet, also custom made, is a thick, uneven weave. The two chrome stools introduce yet another material, modern and bright.

In the bedroom, silky oyster grey sheets are in tension with a nubby cotton orange matelasse cover.

Spending on quality

Since there’s so much less space in a condo suite, it doesn’t take much to look like a million bucks. The second bathroom, for example, has exquisite bamboo-look porcelain tiles, and striped rust and silver wallpaper — small touches that read big.

Fixtures are Kohler, the kitchen is Frendel, and the plentiful accessories are tasteful and go a long way to make this suite feel like a home. Although the bedroom is spare on furniture, it has enough accessories: a large piece of art on one wall, and two black-and-white prints over the bed, chrome lamps with linen shades, soft carpeting. Even the ensuite has a piece of art.

In the living and dining room, an assortment of unusual pillows, tasteful vases, clean modern standing lamps and table lamps read good quality without overdoing it.

And the prices at this Scarborough community are right for those just getting into the market. A one-bedroom suite, just under 500 sq. ft., starts in the low $200s.

The model suite can be viewed at 2330 Kennedy Road, unit G, on the northwest corner of Kennedy and Sheppard, beside Shoppers Drug Mart). The number is 416-491-5683 or go online to www.lovecondominiums.com.

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